Twenty Years. TWENTY!!!

This is it! This is the moment that I defeated Ganon! After TWENTY years!

Yep, I figure I was 14 when I first started playing through Zelda. Many times I made it to the Dark World – hell, I must have got to the Master Sword about thirty times, and probably rescued Zelda about a hundred – but I never made it close to the end. And the reasons were myriad. Broken SNES’s, sold SNES’s, battery back up fails… I’ve had it all. But in a real life version of Link’s heroic quest, I persevered! And now, TWO DECADES later – battered, broken, beleaguered, but victorious – I’ve made it…

The sense of accomplishment is intense! Regular readers of the Grig (you two) will know this has been more than a gaming adventure – this is a very personal mission, exploring my own inability to see anything through to the end. So many games, projects, and avenues in life lie incomplete or failed behind me – but now, we look forwards! With Zelda, the very first objective coming to a final, belated fruition, there’s a sense of personal growth. Development. Completion.

And what did I do with my new found sense of self? Well, played Mario Kart of course. Ashasha…

2 Responses to Twenty Years. TWENTY!!!

My journey here is only just beginning! And I fear a Chrono Trigger-shaped distraction might be on the cards if I can get the Retron to do what I need it to, but that might be an adventure for another post.

I actually quite vividly recall my first trip into A Link to the Past. I had seen Zelda on the NES round Purnells, but only ever watched it be played and hadn’t quite been hit with the Zelda hype. For some reason Devon was in possession of a copy of a Link to the Past and I half heartedly accepted the invitation to borrow it when he offered. I think it sat around for a few days when I decided to give it a five minute blast. I think it had me gripped when five minutes turned into about an hour and I was so hyped I had to take it to your house to show you how awesome it was. Not sure if you’d already seen it before (it was probably early ’94 so quite a bit after its release), but I’m pretty sure we played it for the rest of the day. Not sure how far we got but I think I had to give it back before any real dent was put into it. I did buy it though after an insurance payout after Anne-Marie dropped coffee all over my Megadrive and some games. I can’t remember exactly what got damaged but I definitely rebought SF2 SCE as that was essential, and then I bought Zelda, and I think I also got Sonic CD. Darn, those were good days.

And yet, I never beat Zelda either! But that will be put right! At some point. But it will be done!

yeah i remember the anne-marie coffee incident – that was big news! and man, imagine going out and picking up those three puppies in one go – man, that would be awes…

i did have the first gameplay of zelda being in 94. i figured when i was in the last year of the old st bedes i went round james brooks’ house and played on his snes so i wouldn’t have had one then. so i must have got mine when i was about 13 – so about 1994. and i don’t think i ever owned it did i – i must have just played it round your house. which is kind of how i remember it – that we each had a save game on your one. though i think scrooge and anne-marie had one most of the time, i must have had one at some point…